University in Communities Project

Contributions to the Academic Training and Social Commitment of Extension Students

Abstract

Introduction/Justification: The Brazilian Federal Constitution of 1988 represented a milestone in ensuring the democratization of several rights inherent to quality of life and social well-being, such as education, work, housing, leisure, security, food, and health¹. However, different regions of Brazil have historically experienced conditions of vulnerability, facing additional barriers in accessing health services². In this context, the Jequitinhonha and Mucuri Valleys are characterized as mesoregions historically marked by social inequality and precarious public health services, with limited access of vulnerable populations to primary health care³. Public universities play a crucial role in the democratization of health care through the development of activities grounded in the university tripod—teaching, research, and extension—especially through extension projects aimed at vulnerable communities, in order to ensure access to rights guaranteed by the Brazilian Constitution⁴. Therefore, the “University in Communities Project,” within the Digital Health Center of the Federal University of the Jequitinhonha and Mucuri Valleys (UFVJM), aims to promote interdisciplinary health actions in municipalities located in these regions, focusing on comprehensive patient care through activities involving dentistry, medicine, and nursing. These actions seek to promote comprehensive health and improve quality of life, mainly through health education and early diagnosis of systemic conditions, while also contributing to academic and human development, fostering participatory, collaborative, and effective interaction between students and communities, and generating knowledge and social impact for community protection and development⁵. To ensure the implementation of the project, undergraduate and graduate student volunteers work under faculty supervision. These students perform procedures such as retinography, dermatoscopy, electrocardiograms, and dental care within primary health care, in addition to developing health education actions according to life cycles and operational groups, as well as lesion screening. These activities complement academic training and, combined with direct community engagement, strengthen students’ social commitment. Objectives: To analyze the impact of the extension project “University in Communities of the UFVJM Digital Health Center” on strengthening social bonds among students, society, and health care teams. Additionally, it aims to demonstrate the development of interpersonal skills, empathy, active listening, humanized communication, and increased awareness of different social realities among program participants. Methodology: This is a descriptive study with a quantitative approach, based on extension activities carried out within the “University in Communities of the Digital Health Center” project, linked to UFVJM. The study was developed using records from activities conducted in the municipalities served by the program, with participation of undergraduate and graduate student volunteers from dentistry, medicine, and nursing. For the quantitative analysis, data were collected regarding the number of participating volunteers and the number of procedures performed, focusing on dental procedures. The information was obtained from attendance lists, production spreadsheets, and internal project reports, and organized into absolute frequencies to characterize both the scope of health care services and academic engagement promoted by extension activities. The qualitative analysis was conducted through structured online questionnaires applied to participating students after the extension activities, including open- and closed-ended questions to obtain feedback. Based on these responses, extension experiences and interactions among students, multidisciplinary teams, and the assisted community were analyzed, aiming to identify contributions to the development of interpersonal skills, empathy, humanized communication, active listening, and strengthening of social commitment. Results and Conclusion: During the extension activities carried out in 2025 in the municipalities of Capelinha, Jaboticatubas, Carbonita, Monjolos, and Teófilo Otoni, a total of 141 dental procedures were performed, with the participation of 92 student volunteers, including undergraduate and graduate students. The high level of student engagement highlights the relevance of the University in Communities Project of the UFVJM Digital Health Center as a space for integration between teaching, health care, and social responsibility, reinforcing university extension as an essential component of health education⁴. From a care perspective, the number of dental procedures performed underscores the importance of dentistry within the program, particularly in municipalities located in the Jequitinhonha and Mucuri Valleys, regions historically affected by social inequalities and barriers to accessing health services, especially in hard-to-reach areas²˒³. Beyond the care dimension, extension experiences enabled students to engage directly with different social realities, fostering the development of clinical skills and humanistic competencies such as empathy, active listening, and humanized communication. Thus, the findings demonstrate that dental practice within the project contributes both to expanding access to oral health care and to fostering critical, socially engaged, and humanized academic training⁴. Based on the observed data, it can be concluded that the “University in Communities Project of the UFVJM Digital Health Center” plays a fundamental role in the academic, technical, and scientific training of extension students, as it places them in real and challenging clinical situations and strengthens their social commitment through integration with the social and cultural realities of the assisted communities. Furthermore, the project reinforces the essential role of university extension as a tool for democratizing access to primary health care in the Jequitinhonha and Mucuri Valleys.